James Wilder Jr., Eric Dungy lead Plant to 5A state title

James Wilder Jr.'s big night spurs Tampa Plant to victory.

December 19, 2009|By Buddy Collings, Orlando Sentinel

Two kids with NFL fathers watching, James Wilder Jr. and Eric Dungy, played like pro ball might just be in their future in leading Tampa Plant to its third state football championship in four seasons Friday night at the Citrus Bowl.

Wilder, a 6-3, 220-pound junior whose father of the same name retired as the Tampa Bay Bucs all-time rushing leader, ran for 137 yards and the deciding score as the Panthers (13-1) held on for a 21-14 victory over Bradenton Manatee (13-2). As a defensive end, Wilder delivered three tackles, one assist, two sacks and deflected a pass at the line of scrimmage that was intercepted by teammate Allen Sampson.

Dungy, a 6-2, 180-pound senior and son of former Tampa Bay Bucs and Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy, was everywhere as a defensive free safety and also delivered crucial catches (three for 62 yards) as a flanker. He had the game's first score on a 20-yard reception.

Manatee, which fell behind 21-0 and appeared to be in danger of losing a running-clock rout, fought back in the second half to make it a nail-biter. The game, seen by an announced crowd of 6,725, was in doubt until the Hurricanes failed on four consecutive pass attempts on their last gasp in the final two minutes.

Wilder's 41-yard scoring run late in the second quarter showed the blend of athleticism and power he possesses. He shook a tackle at the line of scrimmage, bounced off a cluster of three defenders downfield and spun away from another to find the end zone.

The game turned when Manatee wiggled out of a third-and-23 hole on its second series of the second half. The Hurricanes were 0-for-3 on fourth down attempts before finally clicking on a must-have fourth-and-6 try. Quarterback Brion Carnes, who ran for 13 on the previous play, connected on a seam route with Quenton Bundrage, who made the play go for more than first-down yardage. He split defenders and ran the final 24 yards to get Manatee on the board.

Plant went three-and-out and Manatee hit another huge play. On third-and-15 Carnes rolled right and threw back to tailback Mike Blakely, who went 87 yards down to the two. Blakely bulled in on the next play to cut the deficit to 21-14 with 37 seconds to go in the third quarter.

Manatee's comeback stalled when Plant stonewalled a fourth-and-inches sneak attempt by Carnes at the Panthers 25 with 5:43 remaining.

The victory made the Panthers 3-0 in finals for coach Robert Weiner, who joined Manatee's Joe Kinnan in an elite group of coaches who have won three or more titles.

Manatee wanted to become the 10th school to achieve five football titles and make Kinnan Florida's first coach to win championships in three decades.

The Panthers took the opening kickoff and mashed Manatee with an offensive line boasting three behemoths 290 pounds or bigger. On third-and-10 at the 20 going in, Dungy got open on a hook route, caught a strike from Ely and spun free to the goal line to give his team the lead.

It was more of the same on Plant's second drive. DeAndre Queen punched the ball in from 2 yards out to make it 14-0 with 9:44 to go in the second quarter.